Ilkeston - An Easter Egg-stravaganza
w/e 20 April 2003
A walk through the town centre revealed Easter bunnies, chicks
and eggs in the most unlikely of places last week. This selection
were to be seen in the window of a local flower shop.
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On the Saturday market, customers were spoilt for choice with
a large selection of chocolate eggs.
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And in the Erewash Museum, Mrs June Barker (right) was on hand
to show her collection of hand decorated eggs to an appreciative
audience.
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This is just a small part of her collection. The large egg at
the back is a rhea's egg and the others are goose eggs. Mrs Barker
uses all sorts of odds and ends to decorate the eggs including
lace, scraps of wallpaper, broken jewellery, gold thread and
old nail varnishes but the end products are just exquisite.
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It is not just the outside of the eggs that are decorated. They
all open to reveal some other scene or figures inside. The heart
shaped ornament, top right in this composite picture, is actually
two eggs joined together.
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Since pagan times the egg has represented the rebirth of the
earth. With the advent of Christianity, the egg came to represent
the rebirth of man and it was adopted as a symbol of Christ's
Resurrection from the tomb. Eggs were among the foods forbidden
during Lent, so it was a special treat to have them again at
Easter. Here, the representation of the empty tomb and the banner
proclaiming "He Is Risen" were among many in the Parish
Church of St Mary in the town centre this weekend.
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